Two U.S. soldiers charged with prisoner abuse

RELATED

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military has charged two soldiers with assaulting detainees in Afghanistan, according to a news release issued Sunday.

The soldiers -- whose names were not released -- are accused of punching prisoners at a U.S. base in Oruzgan province in southern Afghanistan.

According to the military's statement, the soldiers "are accused of striking the detainees who were in their custody. The soldiers allegedly punched the detainees on the chest, shoulders and stomach."

Neither detainee needed medical help, the statement said.

"The charges include conspiracy to maltreat, assault, and dereliction of duty," the release said.

Brig. Gen. Jack Sterling, deputy commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force 76, said the Army will hold individuals responsible for their actions in a manner "consistent with U.S. military law."

The U.S. military also is investigating allegations that U.S. soldiers desecrated the bodies of dead Taliban fighters by burning them.

Video footage from an Australian television report this month purportedly shows U.S. soldiers standing by the burning corpses of two suspected Taliban fighters with their bodies laid out, facing Mecca.

The abuse charges came as Afghanistan continued to investigate accusations of election fraud, Reuters reported Sunday.

An election official said the final results of the September 18 vote should be announced this week, according to Reuters. The news agency said there have been 500 complaints of fraud or voter intimidation.